King of Mechamania
by The-Seeress-Yeul
Summary: In a time where beings such as Fal'Cie and L'cie were no mere legend and humanity's golden age was flourishing under the leadership of Hope Estheim, there was a group of people that existed in mankind's capital of the world. Perhaps you have heard of them from another tale in another time separate from this one. This is a story of their lives in the time of Lightning Farron.
1. Chapter 1

AN: This fic is based on a Captain Cryptic question from Final Fantasy XIII-2 about Edgar and Terra. This fic will also feature triggers for some. Currently, with the first chapter, there is only mind control (albeit mentioned). There are potential triggers concerning Kefka in the future chapters but I haven't worked everything out yet but the additional tags/warnings will be altered when I get there. The same applies for when I get to Rachel's story and Cid's.

It was the year 4XX AF. Being in a city surrounded by countless skyscrapers, technology, and enormous crowds of people meant that most days the city was swelteringly hot. Even more so of packed movie sets where everything was combined somehow amidst the small sets and studio lots, and the copious amounts of exercise by the cast and crew meant lots of towels drenched in sweat and empty water containers as everyone tried to stay hydrated.

The film that had just wrapped was none other than the movie titled, "Gauzan". Many people hoped that it would be a smash hit but none more than Mash Rene and Jeff Roni. Jeff Roni was one of the most famed actors in all of Academia. "Jeff Roni" was his stage name. His real name was Edgar Figaro and he was known by some as a "skirt chaser" but the fact of the matter was he hit on anything that moved! Men and women alike! While he never meant harm by it, he can't resist flirting. The truth to this lied in his past that only Mash Rene knew about. And who was Mash Rene? Mash was Edgar's younger twin brother and Edgar never lets him forget it. Mash's real name is Sabin but goes by Mash for the sake of his job. Sabin was a professional bodybuilder and works at Duncan's Gym. The owner, Duncan, was like a father to Sabin and helped him train the then young boy who had a condition that left him very sick. Only by improving his mind and body was Sabin able to improve his health.

Sabin was on the set of "Gauzan" because his adopted son, Gau, had been cast as the feral youth raised by savage monsters unlike the story of "Tarzan" where the youth was raised and loved fondly by gorillas. Gau had landed the role because of Edgar who had thought he would be perfect for the role. Sabin had agreed and so had his partner, Cyan, who was Gau's other father. Sir Cyan had lost his family tragically. They had been poisoned by water supply as well as had all the other residents in their community complex. Cyan was the only survivor. The loss deeply affected him and while it still does, he has found some solace in the company of Sabin and Gau. While no one can replace his wife and son, Sabin and Gau are like another family to him and he deeply appreciates and cherishes them. Cyan was hesitant over this movie business because he wasn't sure it was safe for Gau but Gau had seemed so excited so he had agreed reluctantly unlike Sabin who was more than happy to have Gau star in his movie. Cyan had been cast in the movie to be there for Gau in case anything were to happen and to keep an eye on him while Sabin was at work. His role in the movie was that of Gau's samurai father figure after discovering him on an endless plain and was being raised by monsters. Little did anyone know (aside from Cyan and Sabin) how closely this related to Gau's history. Gau had been abandoned by his father who had gone senile in his old age and mistaken baby Gau for a monster. His father abandoned him on the fields near Academia and it would be years later until Sabin and Cyan had found him looking for food near the edges of Academia.

"Alright, everyone! That's a wrap for today! Please feel free to help yourself to the amenities provided for you!"

The voice of the director rang out across the din of the set and everyone lets out a breath at a job well done. Everyone wished for the success of this movie and hoped that all of their blood, sweat, tears, and hard work would not be in vain.

Edgar rolls his shoulders trying to work out a kink in his back when he notices the soft smile Cyan gives Gau as they head over to the table with food and drink. The young actor's mind drifts into the past remembering the days when his father had smiled at him like that and how happy Edgar had been to have parents. His reverie into the past is broken by Sabin who walks over to him, slapping him on the back with one of his massive hands.

"So how does it feel to play the evil hunter that gets defeated by a guy like Cyan?"

To Edgar's dismay, he had been cast as the main antagonist of the film. It wasn't like Edgar didn't have the talent to portray a character like that as long as he'd been acting, it was just Edgar would have rather have been cast as a nice guy. Not the one that dies in the end. At least Cyan was cast as a samurai (like he was in nearly every film he was cast in).

"Don't give me that. You know how I feel." An extravagant sigh later, Edgar exclaims, "Lately Ross has been giving me only villain roles. Don't they know I'm much too pretty to be a villain?"

"Of course, you're too pretty, but that's exactly why he's been casting you as villains. The girls eat that stuff up."

"Oh~ So you think I'm pretty?"

"You're pushing it, big bro."

Cyan and Gau make their way over to the brothers. Gau has a plate full of food that looks like it could fall apart at any moment while Cyan simply has a glass of orange juice and a croissant.

"Oi! Gau!" Sabin quickly rushes over trying to make sure no food falls on the ground. Not that Gau would care. He'd still eat it despite Sabin's best efforts to teach him basic table manners like pinkies out. "You can't have this food on one plate! Why didn't you grab two?"

"Owwo… Cyan said one fine!" Gau replies through bites of cheesecake perfectly content with the only plate.

"Cyan! Why didn't you tell him to get two plates!? There's no way one flimsy plate can hold all this weight!"

Edgar butts in then. "Hey! I'll have you know I bought the thickest, most expensive paper plates they had!"

Edgar's words go on deaf ears as Cyan responds to Sabin after taking a satisfying sip of orange juice - the finest on all of Gran Pulse. "I told him one was fine because he eats fast for a child his age. Why waste more of Edgar's fine plates than we already have?"

"But Cyan!" Sabin throws his hands up in disbelief. "Even if Gau eats fast, that's no reason he should only have one plate!"

There was a saying that if looks could kill… Well, Cyan was looking at Sabin so nasty that Sabin shut right up. Another argument lost for the professional bodybuilder.

In an effort to remove some of the tension, Edgar turns his attention from that lover's spat and focuses on Gau, beaming.

"So! How is our little 'Gauzan'? Did you have fun working on the movie?"

Looking up towards his uncle, Gau smiles back, nodding. "Gau! Gau!" That was code for yes. Yes, he had fun.

Edgar can't help but tussle the boy's hair with his hand in response.

In the distance, there's some kind of scuffle going on and when Edgar looks in the direction of the disturbance, he realizes Locke, his treasure hunting friend, was frantically trying to make his way over to the four of them. Sabin takes notice as well as Cyan. Gau looks towards the disturbance but goes back to his food.

"I wonder what's going on. Why won't they let Locke in?" Sabin questions.

"Hmm…"

Locke finally pushes his way through the crowd of well-meaning staff and nimbly makes his way over to Edgar despite having a really strange expression on his face. It's one Edgar knows means Locke found something he hadn't been expecting on one of his expeditions and whatever it was must be bad to have him this spooked.

"So are you here to tell us you got caught red-handed or…?" Edgar began crossing his arms. He couldn't place what he was feeling watching Locke try to collect himself before responding.

"As if! I'm an expert at what I do so there's no way I'd be caught red-handed! Anyways that's not what I'm here for."

Glancing over at the happy family, Locke smiles at them and says, "Sorry guys, but do you mind if Edgar and I talk in private? This is… sensitive." Admittedly he didn't want Gau to overhear what he had to say. It wasn't meant for children's ears.

Sabin and Cyan hearing the underlying meaning to his request nodded and took Gau over to one of the water booths in the shade while Locke turned his attention back to Edgar.

"So?"

"Listen… You know that performer? Kefka Palazzo? Well, I found something in his apartment."

"What do you mean you _found _something?"

"Well… it's more of a _someone _than a _something._"

"Locke…"

"I'm sure you're familiar with her, too. Or at least by name. Tina?"

Edgar felt his heart drop in response. He was indeed familiar with her and her work. She was famous for her roles in numerous horror movies alongside the one and only, Kefka Palazzo. The public knows nothing about her aside from her name and that she was discovered by Kefka. The role Tina played in the films was always either a girl who displayed no emotion as she helped Kefka commit the horrors of the film or she was a victim taken in and used by whatever Kefka's character was in the film. Edgar didn't know why seeing Tina at Kefka's had spooked Locke so. There was no way she had been over for something like tea.

"Yes. What about her?"

"It's bad. Really bad. She…" He trails off, looking down at his hands that had balled into fists.

"Locke."

A few moments pass by in silence before Locke finds the courage to go on. "Kefka's been brainwashing her with subliminal messages in her sleep. He's using her."


	2. Chapter 2

Tina Branford. An up and coming actress in the New World and yet people knew very little about her. They didn't know anything about where she had come from, who her parents were, or if she had any friends. Her entire past was an enigma to almost everyone. The ones who knew of Tina's past - a researcher, an officer, and a fellow performer - kept silent for unknown reasons. All three were connected in some way so perhaps their reasons for staying silent all aligned. All anyone really knew of Tina was her stage name and that Kefka had been the one to discover her and always starred alongside him in his many horror films.

Not much was really known about Kefka either. Few knew his full name as Kefka Palazzo and even fewer knew his origins which was how he liked it. It was better off if no one really knew his past and if anyone tried to come forward… Well... They knew enough to not mess with him.

Tina was mostly kept out of the public eye. She didn't have any say on what she did or didn't do. Unbeknownst to her, Kefka controlled her entire life. Things like 'friendship' and 'love' were foreign to Tina and while the movies she had been in had some trace of them, it was never enough for her to recognize. If they were filming and it had wrapped for the day, Tina would return home where Kefka would continue his experiments. He'd have Tina go to sleep every night around the same time and with the help of some music he had created, he was able to feed subliminal messages into her mind while she was asleep. This had been going on for six years - since their theatrical debut. Nearly everything that made her unique disappeared in under a week and the longer it went on, the harder it was for her to remember her true self and the past she held.

Tonight was another such night or so it seemed. Kefka had been doing PR for the re-release of his and Tina's debut in "The Butcher's Knife" - a story about a string of murders thought to have been committed by the dreaded Tonberry that plagued the city when in reality it had all been the work of a deranged clown - and when he had returned to their 'humble' apartment on the 444th floor of Academia, Tina was in her room waiting. It wasn't long before the headphones were placed over her ears, the music began to play, and Kefka left until the morning. Unlike all the other nights, there was something he had to do and so, knowing that Tina would not awaken until he told her to and not thinking anything of thieves, he left their apartment in the dead of night.

However, a certain someone had been staking out the apartment for a very long time waiting for this exact moment, this chance, to arrive so he could sneak in and pilfer whatever he could to give to the poor.

Muttering a silent prayer to himself, hoping Kefka does not return soon, Locke counts to sixteen and stealthily leaps from his hiding place and makes his way towards the door of the apartment. Academia was built on top of each other. There was no room for individual houses. Everyone lived in apartments that were made to utilize the space they were provided so nothing was wasted. The neon lights from the fluorescent billboards everywhere lit Locke's path and enabled him to see as he picked the lock on Kefka's door.

A few seconds and a "Click!" later and he was in.

"Alright. Let's see what this 'madman' has."

To Locke's surprise, there wasn't very much stuff here. In fact the place was quite barren.

"What kind of prolific actor doesn't have anything on display?"

Maybe it was just because Locke was so used to seeing all of Edgar's rewards front-and-center, but the shock was hard for him to contain. But no. He shakes his head and tells himself to get it together. Who knew just how long he would have until Kefka would return. Even though it had seemed from the actor's countenance that he wouldn't be back for a while, Locke knew it wouldn't be best to linger. Nothing in the main room held his entrance and as he made his way through a few other rooms, Locke was beginning to wonder if he had made a mistake in coming here. Anything and everything most people would view as viable was not in sight. In fact… the more Locke explored, the more he realized what a barren place this apartment was. That is until he stumbled upon the last remaining room in this spacious apartment.

On the other side of the door, soft music could be heard and while the melody was faint, it was enough to give Locke a minor headache. _Something valuable must be behind here. _When he tried to enter, the door was locked and after working his magic on the door, Locke opened it and found her.

Tina Branford.

To say he was shocked was an understatement. While they were always together in movies and on press tours, no one really knew where Tina lived or whom she stayed with. It was always a secret and it looked like Tina was Kefka's best kept secret - or at the very least one of them. Of all the things he had expected, a person, Tina, was the very least of them.

The melody that he had heard was stronger now and he could make out the faintest of words under the piano melody that played and it only made his headache worse.

"Wh-what is this?" Clutching his head, Locke staggered forward.

Tina's eyes remained closed and as asleep as she was, she continued to absorb the subliminal messages underlying the melody playing on the stereo system Kefka kept in her room.

Unable to listen any longer, Locke threw one of his trusty daggers at the system causing it to short circuit and stop working and thus making the dreadful music stop along with it. While his head still panged, Locke was grateful that the music was over. Standing up straighter, he examines the room to take in the other surroundings. There was nothing in here besides a bed, the night stand, and the now broken stereo. Walking over to Tina, he remembers what it was like seeing her in those movies and on tours lifeless and empty and wondering why rarely anyone seemed to find it suspicious. Turning back to look at the smoking stereo, a thought crosses his mind that Kefka had been controlling her with whatever music had been playing previously.

Perhaps by the lack of music playing or from the smell of smoke in the room, Tina wakes up. Her eyes are as lifeless as ever almost as if there is nothing left of her inside. Seeing her like this in person brought a heavy wave of sadness upon Locke and it only reminded him of someone very near and dear to him. If it had been her here, he would have definitely saved her and taken her away from this hellish nightmare that she must be suffering. Taking his dagger back from the still smoking stereo, he comes to the conclusion that leaving Tina here was absolutely not an option. Not even confusion had set on her face at the lack of music and Locke being there instead of Kefka. She only looked at him with the same dead expression on her face as she always had.

"I'm gonna get you out of here, okay?"

Tina didn't respond.

He reaches down and places her arms around his neck and picks her up racing out of the room and out of the house into the dead of night. Sticking to the shadows was going to be the safest place for him and unsure of where to go at first, Locke pressed on. The pair happened by one of the many animated billboards in Academia and an ad featuring the one and only 'Jeff Roni' in his new feature film, "Gauzan", appeared.

Stopping to look at the billboard, the two look up at the billboard where Edgar's charismatic smile reflects in both of their eyes and seemingly inviting the two of them into its radiance.

"Of course," Locke mutters under his breath and then lets out a laugh. "It's obvious."

Leaving the billboard behind, Locke and Tina continue their journey through Academia into the night for somewhere safe for her to stay.

"Brainwashing?" Edgar's voice incredulous brings Locke back to the present. "And pray tell how did you come to this conclusion exactly?"

It wasn't that he didn't want to believe his friend, and of course anything was possible in this world, but he had to be absolutely sure of the details.

"At first I wasn't completely sure, but when I found her there was this strange music playing in her room. I could hear voices speaking under the music so I asked Arvis."

"And what did he have to say?"

"He had to consult with Banon, but they thought it was possible that she was being subliminally controlled and given Kefka's suspicious history, they didn't think it was off the table."

Crossing his arms, Edgar thought long and hard about all the times Tina had appeared in public. She had only ever been spotted with Kefka and any and all information about her past was secluded in mystery. No one knew the truth about her. No one knew who she really was. His mind drifts back to the first time he had seen her at the premier of "The Butcher's Knife." Her eyes had not yet become as vacant as they were now. There was still a sense of self reflected in them but it had been faint. If what Locke said was true, it was possible Kefka had had Tina in his clutches for a long time and had been subjecting her to those 'messages' for a long time.

Without really thinking of what he was going to say next, Edgar knew that whatever was to happen that Tina had to be kept safe and away from Kefka.

"Take me to her."

Locke didn't need to hear any explanations why. He knew from the look in his friend's eyes just how serious he was, and… staying with Edgar was probably the safest place for her to remain right now. He nods and Edgar, explaining to Sabin and Cyan and some staff members that he was leaving with a friend on some business, he followed close behind.

Whatever was going to happen in their future he didn't know. All that was on Edgar's mind right now was Tina.


End file.
